Singletree attachment.



No..707,935. Patented Aug. 26, 1902.

J. w. MAGARVY.

SINGLETREE ATTACHMENT.

(Application filed Feb. 13, 1902.)

(No Model) ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W'ILLIAM MAGARVY, OF NEWBERN, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TO L. G. TIDWELL, OF NEIVBERN, TENNESSEE.

SINGLETREE ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 707,935, dated August 26, 1902.

Application filed February 13,1902. Serial No. 93,924. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN WILLIAM MA- GARVY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newbern, in the county of Dyer and State of Tennessee, have invented anew and useful Singletree Attachment, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improved singletree attachment by means of which the tugs or traces can be quickly and easily detached or released from the whiffletree-hooks in case the horse becomes unmanageable and it is desired to release him from the shafts of the vehicle.

I 5 The object of the invention is to provide an attachment of this kind which can be used in connection with the ordinary whiflietree and which will prove highly efficient in operation.

2c The invention consists, essentially, in the attachment of an angular bracket or plate to each end of the whiffletree and to which the whiftletree-hook is pivoted and in the employment of a fiat metal spring secured at one 2 5 end to the angular bracket or plate, its free end having an operating strap connected thereto, said plate having an opening adjacent to its free end adapted to receive the end of the whiffletree-hook and hold the same in place under normal conditions, said hook bein g detached by drawing the spring rearwardly by means of the operating-strap.

The invention consists also in certain details of construction and novelties of combination, all of which will be fully described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the practical application of my invention. Fi 2 is a top plan view of the whiffletree provided at each end with my improvement, the tugs or traces being connected to the hooks. Fig. 8 is anenlarged detail view show ing one end of the whiftletree with the attachment connected thereto. Fig. 4: is a similar view showing the position the parts occupy during the detaching operation. Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the attachment at one end of the whiffletree, and Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view on the line 6 6 on Fig. 3. In carrying out my invention I employ the ordinary whifiletree or singletree A, and to each end thereof I attach an angular bracket or plate B, onemember being arranged upon the rear side of the whiffletree and secured by 5 5 means of a bolt B, the other member projecting forwardly beyond the end of the whiftletree, as most clearly shown, and havinga whiffletree-hook C pivotally connected thereto. A flat metal spring D is also attached to the whif- 6o fletree and angular plate or bracket by means of the bolt B, said spring resting normally against the rear face of the plate B and at its free end is provided with a loop D to which the operating-strap E is connected, and in practice I prefer to employ only one operating-strap, each end being connected to the loops D, and in this case th'e'strap will rest at the bottom of the dashboard, as most clearly shown in Fig; 1. The spring D projects a short distance beyond the end of the whiflletree and also beyond the forwardlyprojecting member of the angular bracket or plate adjacent to its outer end. Said spring is provided with an opening D-, which is adapted to receive the end 0 of the whiffletree-hook C, thereby securely fastening the said hook.

F indicates the ordinary tug or trace, having an aperture adjacent to its rear end through which the whiflletree-hook O is passed prior to its engagement with the spring D.

A bail or loop G is fastened to the rear side of the whiflietree and embraces the spring, said bail or loop serving to limit or stop the rearward movement of said spring, thereby preventing said spring being drawn too far rearwardly, as it is only necessary to draw said spring a short distance to the rear in orderto disengage the hook O, and when the o0 said hook is so disengaged the tension upon said hooks will cause them to be thrown around to the position indicatedin Fig. 4, and when in such position the tugs or traces will readily slip therefrom. It will thus be 5 seen that in case the horse becomes unmanageable and it is desired to release him from the shafts the strap E is' pulled, thereby op erating the spring D at each end of the whiffletree, and in this manner both of the whifliemo tree-hooks are opened, detaching the horse from the whiflletree, and the remaining parts ofthe harness being constructed and arranged to permit the escape of the animal it is readily understood how he will be permitted to pass from the shafts, leaving the vehicle behind.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a singletree, having a pivoted rearwardly-curved hook member, a spring attached to the end of said singletree and adapted to engage said hook member, and means for releasing the hook member from such engagement.

2. In a device of the character described,

the combination with a singletree, having an L-shaped plate attached to each end thereof, and a rearwardly-curved hook member pivoted to each plate, of flat rectangular springs attached to the rear portion of the singletree and extending beyond the ends of same,means for normally holding said hook members in engagement With said springs, and means for Withdrawing the springs from such engagement.

JOHN WILLIAM MAGARVY.

Witnesses:

G. M. KEENAN, L. G. TIDWELL. 

